VOA标准英语2011--Alleged Iranian Plot Raises Questions Ab

Alleged¹ Iranian Plot Raises Questions About Possible Motive²

 

The U.S. government's allegation that Iranian agents tried to hire Mexican drug runners to assassinate³ Saudi Arabia's ambassador in a Washington restaurant has some Middle East experts puzzled over why Iran would carry out such an attack.

It allegedly is a murder-for-hire scheme targeting Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir. And U.S. officials say there also were plans to attack the embassies of Saudi Arabia and Israel.

One suspect, Iranian American Mansour Arbabsiar, already has appeared in court to face charges.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder⁴ said a second suspect may be in Iran.

"In addition to holding these individual conspirators⁵ accountable for their alleged role in this plot, the United States is committed to holding Iran accountable for its actions," said Holder.

Holder said the Iran-based suspect belongs to the Quds force, a part of the Revolutionary Guard Corps⁶. The Quds force already is suspected of involvement in attacks against U.S.-led forces in Iraq, and aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Suspect Manssor Arbabsiar is shown in a courtroom sketch7 during an appearance in a Manhattan courtroom in New York, October 11, 2011.

Ali Reza Nader, a senior analyst⁸ with the Rand Corporation, said, "First of all the Iranian security services, including the Revolutionary Guards, like to work through proxies⁹, so other groups, whether they are Hezbollah or Hamas or Shia insurgents¹⁰ in Iraq, or the Taliban in Afghanistan. They like to maintain some kind of plausible¹¹ deniability, not necessarily be tied to spectacular terrorist plots."

Iran is widely suspected of involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. And it has assassinated¹² dissidents abroad.

But Patrick Clawson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said Iranian intelligence lately has avoided such brazen¹³ plots because of the international fallout.

"I’m not surprised it was the Quds force involved, if these allegations are true, because the people from the Ministry¹⁴ of Intelligence are really too bright and understand the world too well to agree to such a hare-brained scheme," said Clawson. "Whereas many of the people in the Quds force are really quite uninformed about the world outside of Iran and might have thought that they could have gotten away with such a thing, and that if they pulled it off that it would somehow help Iran."

He said if the allegations are proven, it will strengthen the case for sanctions against Iran, and will make it easier for Washington to convince other countries to take the Iranian threat seriously.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

3 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

4 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

5 conspirators   

n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. 密谋者没有参加随后发生的战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The French conspirators were forced to escape very hurriedly. 法国同谋者被迫匆促逃亡。 来自辞典例句

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 proxies   

n.代表权( proxy的名词复数 )；（测算用的）代替物；（对代理人的）委托书；（英国国教教区献给主教等的）巡游费

参考例句：

• SOCKS and proxies are unavailable. Try connecting to XX again? socks和代理不可用。尝试重新连接到XX吗？ 来自互联网
• All proxies are still down. Continue with direct connections? 所有的代理仍然有故障。继续直接连接吗？ 来自互联网

10 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

11 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

12 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

13 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

14 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。